All too often, a yen for a midmorning, midafternoon or midnight snack can undo an otherwise healthy diet. But you don’t have to give in, says psychologist Joyce Nash, Ph.D. Here, she reveals what’s behind your urge to nibble on junk, when it’s smart to have a snack and her simple five-step strategy to keep cravings at bay...

Mealtimes may sing when you’re focused on eating right. But how about those in-between food cravings?

Uncontrolled, snack attacks lead to noshing on unhealthy foods and a vicious cycle of guilt and overeating. But, you say, it’s just so hard to resist the siren calls of chocolate or salty chips!

Her philosophy is simple: “Control what you eat rather than letting what you want to eat control you,” says Nash, who has Ph.D.s in clinical psychology and communication and practices in Menlo Park, Calif.

Here are her best tips for controlling food cravings, especially when they strike between meals.

What causes food cravings?A craving starts with an idea that pops into your head. It may be triggered by an environmental cue, like seeing an attractive food or advertisement, smelling something good or passing a restaurant. Boredom, anxiety and hunger can trigger cravings too.

What role does the mind play in cravings and weightmanagement?It’s the biggest part. The mind chatters all the time and we listen to everything it says.

Our brain can generate all kinds of excuses and rationalizations for having that extra cookie or second helping of mashed potatoes.

A very common excuse – “I’ll have just one” – often leads to eating more. But after you eat, you start feeling bad. I shouldn’t have had that, you tell yourself.

The self-criticism is itself a hazard for snacking more. You feel bad so you eat more to feel better.

How can you manage thoughts or emotions that trigger a snack attack?This is where mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness is the willingness to stay in the moment and be aware of your physical, mental and psychological self so you can identify what you’re feeling.

A simple way to learn mindfulness is to [observe] yourself. It’s as if you stand outside yourself and notice what you’re feeling, doing and thinking.

The more mindful you [are], the more you’ll become aware of your eating habits. When snacking, you can ask yourself, “What’s really causing me to eat?” If it’s boredom, then do something about the boredom.

Stress often triggers snack attacks. How should someone deal withthat?Eating often reduces anxiety because it distracts and calms us down. It creates physiological changes in our body when the pleasure center of the brain lights up like a pinball machine.

[So] find another way to manage your anxiety, maybe taking a shower or hot bath, going for a walk, calling a friend or settling down in bed with a good magazine or book.

What’s hunger’s role in food cravings?Being hungry can make you more vulnerable to [eating] whatever’s available, whether it’s doughnuts, cookies or candy.

Can managing hunger prevent snack attacks?Yes. Be sure you eat enough at each meal and include some protein, particularly at breakfast and lunch, to keep hunger at bay. Research has shown protein in a meal or snack slows the emptying of the stomach and delays hunger. Just grabbing a cup of coffee [won’t] do it.

I recommend the 3-5-hour rule: Don’t eat before three hours have passed since the last time you ate, and eat within five hours. If you wait longer, you’re flirting with hunger, which can trigger cravings.

Can you retrain yourself to resist food cravings?Some research shows [that] if you “surf the urge” – resist it repeatedly – the urge drops. Treat the craving like a wave. You’re on a surfboard and let the wave go under rather than crash on top of you.

It’s like a path you travel all the time through the woods. If you don’t travel [it] very often, it grows over with weeds. It’s the same with the brain. If you travel that neurological path [to pleasure] frequently, it will take you there quickly and you’ll do it more often.

[But] if you don’t give in to cravings, eventually you won’t have as many urges.

How do you wait out food cravings?There’s a difference between planned snacking and giving into a craving. [With] planned snacks, you make a conscious decision – you know what you're doing and remove the guilt that can lead to more cravings.

But giving into cravings is “mouth entertainment,” [and] that comes from boredom or simply wanting something to do. To avoid that kind of snacking, use what I call the Five D’s:

Delay at least 10 minutes before you give in.

Distract yourself. Take a walk around the block. Start cleaning out your closet. Take a shower. It’s hard to eat when water is cascading over you.

Distance yourself. If you have cookies out for the kids, put them away. Whatever the temptation, freeze it, throw it away.

Determine how important it is [to] eat this food. Are you making a conscious choice?

Are there ways to avoid food cravings in the firstplace?Think of your craving as a weed and catch it early. Interrupt [it] before it gets out of control.

Distract your taste buds by brushing your teeth and gargling with a strong mouthwash. Or put a strong mint in your mouth. Try dabbing some cologne or strong-smelling ointment under your nose.

Don’t shop when you’re hungry.

And [put] leftovers away promptly.

Are there certain times when snack attacks are stronger?An unstructured day – usually a Saturday or Sunday – can be challenging. With time on their hands, people sometimes entertain themselves with food. They may whip up a batch of cookies, even though no one’s there to share them.

There are also “transition times” that can be very hazardous. That’s when you’ve finished one project and haven’t started another. It’s the perfect time at work to get up from your desk and see what you can find to eat. In a lot of offices, food is readily displayed.

Four o’clock in the afternoon is hazardous. It’s time for a snack —an appropriate [one] — and that has to be planned for that 3-5-hour window.

So snacking isn’t necessarily bad, it’s what you have for asnack?Yes. If you know you won’t eat until later because your husband’s working late or the kids have soccer practice, plan to have an appropriate snack that works for you, [for example,] some yogurt and fresh fruit, or piece of toast with a schmear of peanut butter, unless peanut butter’s a danger food for you.

Whatdo you mean by “danger” food?Anything you find hard to stop eating.

How do you deal with danger foods? With care! It’s not that you can’t have them, but you have to be careful how you have them.

Portion it out. Pretend you’re in a restaurant and you have one serving and can’t go for seconds.

If you can’t stop eating a danger food, then it becomes something you eat only at a restaurant. Don’t have it in your house.

What’syour danger food?Almond Roca. I can’t have just one piece. So around 20 years ago, I decided I just didn’t need Almond Roca in my home.

But two Christmases ago, a friend sent me a tin of Almond Roca. I thought to myself, I can have just one. I ended up standing at the kitchen counter eating all of it!

I asked her not to send it to me again, but she did. I didn’t even open it.

Isgetting rid of temptation important for stopping snack attacks?Yes. It’s not easy to think of the long-term consequences when faced with temptation. That’s why planning and removing [them] helps.

Having a clear picture of who you are also helps. I like to use the example of a person who’s a vegetarian. She’s defined herself as a vegetarian and doesn’t say, “Oh, I wish I could have a steak.”

Some people say they have such strong food cravings that they’re powerless over them. How do you address that?Recognize that this craving is what your mind is telling you. It’s not a law or requirement [or] something you absolutely have to do. It’s just a thought. And thoughts come and go.

You can learn to control your reactions to them.

What’s Your Diet Downfall?You already know if you're a junk food junkie or a sucker for bread and butter. You know if you've got a sweet tooth or a salty incisor. So what else is there to know about why your diet isn't working? Find out if you're unwittingly sabotaging your weight-loss plan and adding inches to your waistline with this diet quiz.

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